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Òran

Cumbernauld Theatre 

Four stars 

 

Life is hell for young Òran. Ever since he sold out his best mate Euan and watched him fall into the dark side, that old bond they had at school has long gone. Having already lost his brother, the void in Òran’s life is as painfully obvious as some of the pictures on his mobile. Guilt tripped to the max, the only thing Òran can do is dive into the mess he’s gotten both himself and Euan into and see what he can salvage. 

 

The Orpheus myth was originally a tale of lost love as our hero dug deep into his own soul to rescue Eurydice from the lower depths. Owen Sutcliffe’s reimagining transforms this into something of a boy’s own yarn, in which adolescent angst crossed with peer group pressure and online posturing becomes a mire of bullying, betrayal, digital damnation and even an Alan Partridge chant.  

 

This is brought to life in Jack Nurse’s production for the lively young Wonder Fools company by a suitably heroic Robbie Gordon, who introduces the evening by co-opting some willing members of the audience into the show’s multi-faceted mix. 

 

Scaled up since its 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe run for this extensive tour, the show sees Gordon operate his own sound on a tabletop console while surrounded by light boxes bathed with Heather Scott’s video projections. These conjure up a sensurround neon underground that fizzes and crackles with demonic activity. 

 

This is pulsed by an electronic soundscape by VanIves and driven by hip-hop poetics delivered with a clarity that sees Gordon relish every word. Combined, this brings dynamic new life to an ancient story that navigates the temptations of the online abyss to become a ferociously modern rites of passage tragedy for our times.


The Herald, September 22nd 2025

 

ends

 

 

 

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